“…it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (2: 216)
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
INTRODUCTION
All of us have a free will to lead our lives until we die. In fact, Allah Informed us:
“There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path….” 2: 256
“And say: “The truth is from your Lord.” Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve…” 2: 29
In worldly matters, we also have free will but we have to bear the consequences:
- If one decides to run through the traffic light with traffic cameras flashing, then he/she will have to bear the consequence of the traffic fines;
- If you are not allowed to park in restricted zones, then if you insist on parking then you have to blame yourselves for parking fines;
- If there are signs in the London underground that you must have a ticket when travelling, and you insist on jumping over the barrier without paying for the ticket, then if the transport inspectors come to check your ticket, you have to blame yourself if you were issued with a fine;
- If you are not supposed to feed the pigeons, with a penalty of monetary fines if you are caught feeding them, then you have to blame yourself for the issue of this fine if you are feeding the pigeons.
So, even free will is limited in worldly matters. There are rules and regulations to follow. In Singapore, you will be fined £650 for first time offenders on littering (simply throwing rubbish on the ground).
So, in the matters of the Deen, which is a way of life, there are definitely boundaries which we have to abide. As Muslims, we must understand that Islam means “complete submission to Allah”. We are required to complete obey Allah in all matters. The phrase “sami’na wa a to’na” (we hear and we obey) should be enshrined in our hearts:
“The Messenger (Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be upon him) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, “We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers” – and they say, “We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).” 2: 285
After all, we are all slaves of Allah. As His slaves, we simply must try and obey what has been Commanded to us by Allah.
In life, we always have decisions to make, for example
- Career
- Choosing a spouse
- Choosing where to live and the type of accommodation
- The type of friends we choose to have
- Which school to go to
Before we make this decision, we have to ask ourselves – Would Allah be pleased with our decision.
SEVERAL GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Allah is the ultimate lawmaker
Whatever decision that we made must be in accordance what Allah has Informed us in the Qur’an and also through His Messenger, Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him)
“This is the Book (the Qur’an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun” 2: 2
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad Peace and Blessings be upon him) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” 33: 21
“Say (O Muhammad Peace and Blessings be upon him to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Say (O Muhammad Peace and Blessings be upon him): “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad Peace and Blessings be upon him).” But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.” 3: 31-32
- We will meet Allah for accountability in the Day of Judgment
“And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.” 2: 281
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.” 99: 7-8
Advice of Luqman in the Qur’an
“O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Aware (of its place). 31: 16
Everything will be held into account on the Day of Judgment
- Our soul has been programmed to “do evil”
“Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” 12: 53
We therefore will have to work hard in order to seek Allah’s Guidance and Mercy, through
- Seeking knowledge
- Obeying Allah’s Commands to obtain His Mercy
- Seeking His Forgiveness constantly
- Ultimate aim – Guidance from Allah in all matters
So, for example – choosing a spouse
Brothers may like only looks at the expense of the Deen. Sisters may like security and career at the expense of the Deen. But prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) advised us:
This hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (4802) and Muslim (1466) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: “A woman may be married for four things: her wealth, her lineage, her beauty and her religious commitment. Seek the one who is religiously-committed, may your hands be rubbed with dust (i.e., may you prosper).”
We also need to do istikharah prayer to seek Allah’s counsel. A beautiful sister who has compromised the Deen may be bad for the brother, or a handsome brother with money with no Deen may be bad for the sister. Only Allah Knows the Unseen and therefore you need to do istikharah prayer to seek His Counsel.
- Understanding the purpose of life
The purpose of life is to worship Allah:
“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).” 51: 56
Anything that we do in life must revolve around this principle.
“And We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for mere play, We created them not except with truth (i.e. to examine and test those who are obedient and those who are disobedient and then reward the obedient ones and punish the disobedient ones), but most of them know not.” 44: 38-39
“Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;” 67: 2
- Good qualities to possess
- Patience
“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).” 2: 153
“…And Allah loves As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).” 3: 146
“Verily! I have rewarded them this Day for their patience, they are indeed the ones that are successful.” 23: 111
- Trust in Allah
“And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.” 65: 3
Stories in the Qur’an, like the people of the cave, the mother of Musa (AS), Asiyah (wife of pharaoh), Prophet Ayyub (AS) should encourage is to trust Allah.
- Understand Allah is Best of Planner
The ultimate Planner is Allah in all matters. Even if we hate a particular matter at that moment of time, we may only understand the Wisdom of being given that matter at a later stage in our life.
Like the story of prophet Yusuf (AS) – It was Allah’s ultimate Plan to elevate his status, but only after undergoing several trials.
- Understand Qadr
Everything has been Written down by Allah. If we accept this concept of Qadr, which is the 6th Article of faith, then our hearts will achieve peace.
Abu al-‘Abbas ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas(ra) reports:
“One day I was riding (a horse/camel) behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he said, ‘Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of God, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of God. If you need help, seek it from God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together in order to help you, they would not be able to help you except if God had written so. And if the whole world were to gather together in order to harm you, they would not harm you except if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.’ ”
Related by Tirmidhi
“And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.” 6: 59
Belief in al-Qadar includes four things:
i – The belief that Allah knows all things, in general and in detail, from eternity to eternity, whether that has to do with His actions or the actions of His slaves.
ii – The belief that Allah has written that in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Book of Decrees).
Concerning these two matters Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Know you not that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on the earth? Verily, it is (all) in the Book (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz). Verily, that is easy for Allah” 22:70
In Saheeh Muslim (2653) it is narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Allah wrote down the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.”
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The first thing that Allah created was the Pen, and He said to it, ‘Write!’ It said, ‘O Lord, what should I write?’ He said: ‘Write down the decrees of all things until the Hour begins.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4700; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
iii – The belief that whatever happens only happens by the will of Allah – whether that has to do with His actions or the actions of created beings.
Allah says concerning His actions (interpretation of the meaning):
“And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses” 28:68
“and Allah does what He wills” 14:27
And He says concerning the actions of created beings.
“If your Lord had so willed, they would not have done it” 6:112
All events, actions and happenings occur only by the will of Allah. Whatever Allah wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen.
iv – The belief that all things that happen are created by Allah in their essence, their attributes and their movements.
“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Wakeel (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian) over all things” 39:62
“He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements” 25:2
- Know the final destination – Jannah inshaAllah, and the world is transient
Allah will say: “This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) – they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise). 5: 119
Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children, as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment (for the disbelievers, evil-doers), and (there is) Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the believers, good-doers), whereas the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment. 57: 20
- Have taqwa to Allah
Be God-conscious at all times.
“…Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqun. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” 49: 13
“O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allah, He will grant you Furqan [a criterion (to judge between right and wrong)]…” 8: 29
BE VERY AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING
- Shaytan as our enemy
“O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy.” 2: 208
- Death may be imminent
“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).” 3: 185
- The attractions of the dunya
“Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s life; but Allah has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing rivers, etc.) with Him.” 3: 14
“…Say: “Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the Fatila (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date-stone).” 4: 77
- The companions we choose
“Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except Al-Muttaqun.” 43: 67
“Verily, your Wali (Protector or Helper) is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, – those who perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat, and they bow down (submit themselves with obedience to Allah in prayer).” 5: 55
- Culture and family do not compromise Islam
Marriages in Islam can be very expensive and wasteful. This is against Allah’s Command:
“…But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift . Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin (devils), and the Shaitan (Devil – Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord. 17: 26-27
CONCLUSION
Whether is a decision we have to take or the path that we choose, or something happens in our life, everything must be acted in accordance with the hope that Allah will be Pleased with it. All the ground rules have been laid out clearly in the Qur’an and authentic hadeeths. We have to make du’a to Allah to Guide us continuously so that we are able to lead a life which is pleasing to Allah.
« اللَّهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا، وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ، وَأَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا، وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتنِاَبَهُ، وَلَا تَجْعَلْهُ مُلْتَبِسًا عَلَيْنَا فَنَضِلَّ، وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا »
O Allah! Show us the truth as truth, and bestow adherence to it on us. Show us the evil as evil, and make us stay away from it, and do not confuse us regarding the reality of evil so that we will not be led astray by it, and make us leaders for the believers.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Baqarah, Ayah: 213)
